Hairstylist Sam McKnight Reveals the Story Behind Princess Diana's Haircut

Is there a more iconic hairstyle than that of Princess Diana? The cut, created by legendary hairstylist Sam McKnight, was one of the most copied styles of the '90s, and was actually done on a whim.

McKnight, who also did the hair for Emma Corrin as Diana in The Crown, recently sat down for an interview with British Vogue, where the hairstylist revealed the story behind Diana's impromptu haircut.

"The first time I met the Princess of Wales was on a shoot,” McKnight said in the interview. “This leggy blonde comes bouncing up the stairs and sticks her hand out and introduces [herself], smiled, and made us all melt, and it was Princess Diana." The princess still had the longer, more voluminous hair that she wore throughout the '80s. "I made it look short under the tiara. I faked it a bit," he revealed.

Later, Princess Di asked McKnight what he would do with her hair if she said he "could do anything." The hairstylist responded that he would cut it all off and start again. "It was the beginning of the '90s and it was at the time that I was doing lots of shows and covers and a lot of the girls had short hair, and we were moving from the big frou-frou '80s into the sharp, more androgynous, business chic of the '90s,” he said.

She asked him to cut it then and there, and thus, Princess Di's cropped cut was born.